Ninja Incoming?

Ninja Incoming?

Posted by Brian • April 11, 2017

Original Release Date: March 27, 2012

This page is jam-packed with a big reveal and more exposition than any comic fan should ever have to put up with in a single page. Renee's big secret is finally out, and of course it lines up perfectly with with unresolved/important plot points. In hindsight, it's all a little too convenient, but that's also kind of the point. First, it's a comic, so of course all of the central characters are inexplicably linked. Second, this is supposed to be Mike's chaos gene at work. His gene is behind a tremendous amount of the crazy things that happen in his life, good and bad. So sometimes, it throws him in with a boss who is both absurdly evil and not of this world. BUT, it also unexpectedly tag-teams him with great people like Stu and Renee, who end up not only becoming his friends, but also playing pivotal roles in a much bigger story with the entire world at stake.

The thing I wanted most from Volume Three was for it to be Mike's story. Volume One was Stu's story of vindication. Volume Two deals with both Mike and Stu facing fears, overcoming pride and uncertainty (respectively), and fighting complacency. Volume Three is about Mike, how the chaos gene effects his life both positively and negatively, and how he finally finds his place in the world by accepting it, if that makes sense. If you're a first-time reader, keep reading and you'll see what I mean (I hope).

The major flaw with this page, unfortunately, is the reading order in panel two. My intent, for whatever reason, was to have readers start at the bottom-left of the panel and read everything in an arc, but that's not how reading comics works. It was a serious lapse in proper panel layout. I must have been in a hurry or trying to be too experimental, or a combination of the two.